The average painter and decorator salary UK workers earn is around £29,000 a year when employed — roughly £16 an hour. But that figure hides a twist the others don’t: it’s the cheapest and fastest trade to start, and it has the biggest gap between what employed workers earn and what self-employed business owners take home.
The lowest barrier to entry of any UK trade
Unlike plumbing or electrical work, you don’t legally need years of formal certification to start painting and decorating. The kit is inexpensive, the skills can be learned quickly on the job, and you can go self-employed with very little upfront cost. That makes it one of the fastest routes into a skilled trade — and into running your own business.
The flip side is that low barriers mean more competition, so reputation and quality of finish are what separate the £150-a-day decorator from the one charging £400+.
How much you can charge: day rates and pricing
Most decorators price work in one of two ways, and the choice matters more than the hourly rate. Day rates typically run £150–£250 across most of the UK, rising to £250–£400+ in London and for high-end finishes. Pricing per job — quoting a fixed price for a room or a whole property — is where experienced decorators earn most, because a fast, efficient worker keeps the difference rather than trading hours for money.
Materials are usually quoted separately or marked up, and the ability to estimate a job accurately is the single biggest skill difference between a decorator who scrapes by and one clearing £50,000+. Underquote and you work for free; overquote and you lose the job.
Painter and Decorator Salary UK: Employed vs Self-Employed
This is where the real money shows up. An employed painter and decorator earns £24,000–£35,000. A self-employed decorator charges day rates of £150–£325 nationally, rising to £250–£650 in London and the South East for experienced and premium work. A consistently busy sole trader earns well above the employed average, and a decorator who builds a small strong team or limited company can reach £70,000+.
The trade-off is the usual one: you cover your own tools, van, insurance, materials markup, and unpaid days between jobs. Chasing payment and quiet winter months are the two complaints every decorator shares.
The specialisms that pay most
Within the trade, certain niches consistently pay well above the average:
- Wallpapering and hand-hung finishes — a skill fewer decorators have, especially with expensive or delicate papers, and clients pay a premium for someone who can hang them properly.
- Spray finishing — spraying kitchens, doors and commercial interiors is faster and finer than brushwork, and commands higher rates for those with the kit and skill.
- Specialist and heritage finishes — lime paints, period properties, marbling and graining. A small pool of qualified decorators means strong pricing.
- Commercial and industrial contracts — offices, schools, hotels and new-build sites. Lower rates per day, but steady, high-volume work that fills a calendar.
Painter and decorator salary by experience
- Apprentice / trainee — around £11,000–£18,000 a year while you learn.
- Newly qualified — around £22,000–£26,000.
- Experienced (employed) — around £34,000.
- Self-employed / business owner — £40,000–£70,000+, the top of the trade.
Qualifications: not required, but they pay
You can work as a decorator without formal qualifications, but the ones that exist unlock better-paid work. An NVQ Level 2 in Painting and Decorating is the industry standard and can be completed through college or an apprenticeship. More practically, a CSCS card is required for almost all commercial and new-build sites — without one you’re limited to domestic work, which caps the volume of contracts available to you.
Beyond that, insurance matters more than certificates for self-employed decorators: public liability cover is what larger clients and letting agents ask for before they’ll hire you.
Painter and Decorator Salary UK by Region
Location has a big effect on the painter and decorator salary UK average. London and the South East run 30–45% above the national midpoint, driven by demand and higher overheads, while Wales and Northern Ireland sit lower.
| Region | Average salary | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| London | £36,000 | £17.31 |
| South East | £33,000 | £15.87 |
| East of England | £29,000 | £13.94 |
| Midlands | £28,000 | £13.46 |
| Scotland | £28,000 | £13.46 |
| North West | £27,000 | £12.98 |
| Wales | £25,000 | £12.02 |
| Northern Ireland | £24,000 | £11.54 |
As with all trades, the London premium is partly offset by higher living and business costs (congestion charges, ULEZ, parking, rent) — so real take-home can be closer between regions than the headline figures suggest.
Where the work comes from
For self-employed decorators, the biggest variable isn’t the day rate — it’s keeping the calendar full. The most reliable sources are word of mouth and repeat customers, followed by letting agents and landlords (steady turnover work between tenancies), estate agents preparing properties for sale, and subcontracting for builders and property developers. Decorators who build two or three trade relationships rarely have quiet weeks; those relying purely on domestic one-offs feel the seasonal dips hardest. Winter is traditionally slower for exterior work, so building an interior-focused client base evens out the year.
Is becoming a painter and decorator worth it?
For the fastest, cheapest route into a self-employed trade, it’s hard to beat. You can start earning quickly with minimal qualifications, demand from home improvement is steady, and a strong reputation can take you from a typical paid decorator wage to £70,000 in your own business. The trade-offs are heavy competition at the entry level and physically repetitive work, so building quality and reputation early is what pays off.
Frequently asked questions
How much do painters and decorators make an hour in the UK?
Employed painters and decorators earn around £12–£23 an hour, while self-employed decorators charge £15–£40 an hour, rising to £37–£38+ in London.
Can self-employed painters and decorators earn more?
Yes, considerably. Day rates of £150–£325 (more in London) push successful self-employed decorators well above the £29,000 employed average, with business owners reaching £70,000+.
Do you need qualifications to be a painter and decorator?
No — it’s one of the few trades you can start with minimal formal qualifications, though an NVQ Level 2 and a CSCS card help you access better-paid commercial work.
How do decorators price a job?
Either by day rate (£150–£250 typically) or by quoting a fixed price per room or property. Fixed pricing rewards speed and efficiency, which is why experienced decorators usually prefer it.
Want the bigger picture? See our full breakdown of the average salary in the UK, or check official guidance at the National Careers Service.
More UK trades: see how much a plumber, an electrician or a carpenter earns by region and as a self-employed tradesperson, or compare all of them in our ranking of the highest paying trades in the UK.